Carlos Hyde steals Adrian Peterson’s thunder as 49ers roll Vikings
When the NFL picked the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers for the second “Monday Night Football” game in Week 1, there was probably some hope that a certain running back would make a big splash on late-night TV.
And of course, it was Carlos Hyde and not Adrian Peterson who played the starring role.
The Vikings looked surprisingly bad and Peterson had almost no impact in his first game since Week 1 last season, although the San Francisco 49ers had plenty to do with that. The 49ers’ defense played very well, their offensive line knocked the Vikings around and they won 20-3. A terrible offseason for the 49ers didn’t affect them on the field Monday night.
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The breakout star of the night was Hyde. He had 168 rushing yards, the most of any NFL player in Week 1, and a pair of touchdowns.
Hyde, the second-year back out of Ohio State, is taking over for 49ers legend Frank Gore, who moved on to Indianapolis in the offseason. And he was effective all night. He ran hard when he had to grind out extra yards. He looked quick on other plays. On his first touchdown, he had a Braxton Miller-esque spin move (they must teach that in Columbus) to get in the open and score. He carried the 49ers’ offense.
That has been Peterson’s role for many years in Minnesota. It would be easy to say Peterson looked rusty in his return, but offensive coordinator Norv Turner didn’t give him the ball often enough to determine if he was. The first series set the tone for the odd play-calling. The Vikings blocked a field goal and returned it into 49ers territory. Then they passed three times, with the former NFL MVP in the backfield behind Teddy Bridgewater, and missed a field goal.
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When Hyde scored his second touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give the 49ers a 17-3 lead, Peterson had just 10 carries for 31 yards. He was on the bench when the Vikings were down 14 points and went with their two-minute offense. That’s all strange, though it’s possible the Vikings didn’t want to overwork him right away. Peterson didn’t play in the preseason. Peterson had one highlight play, dragging multiple 49ers defenders for a first down after a catch in the first half, but that was about it for him.
Peterson has been a superstar for many years in the NFL. The odds are against Hyde ever reaching Peterson’s level, but for one night at least, he was the more productive back.
“That was also in the back of my head, to outdo a guy who’s been leading the NFL in rushing. That’s tremendous to outdo a guy like that, Adrian Peterson, a great running back,” Hyde said, according to the Associated Press. “I used to watch his highlights. To be able to outrush him, that’s great.”
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
